WRONGFUL TERMINATION
Being fired from a job can be a frustrating and embarrassing experience. While some employment termination decisions are lawful — even if the employee is not given cause for the termination — others are a breach of an employee’s rights and constitute wrongful termination. If you have been fired and you think that your termination may be illegal, contact our Youngstown wrongful termination attorneys directly today. Our lawyers can answer your questions about wrongful termination and help you to bring forth a claim for damages if you’ve been wrongfully terminated.
Wrongful termination occurs when an employee is terminated because of discrimination or because the employee was exercising a legally protected right. For example, it is an employee’s right to: Request reasonable accommodation for a disability; File a discrimination complaint or serve as a witness is a discrimination claim; Take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Take time off to vote; File a wage and hour complaint following a wage and hour violation (such as an employee’s failure to pay overtime pay or a minimum wage); File a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about a safety violation; Report an employer’s illegal activity (i.e. whistleblow). If any employee is fired for exercising a protected right, then they have been wrongfully terminated. Similarly, it is also against the law to terminate an employee based on their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, sexual identity, pregnancy status, age, or disability.
If you are an at-will employee, you may be under the impression that your employer can terminate your employment status at any time without cause. This is true. If you are fired, your employer does not have to give you cause; however, that does not mean that an employer can terminate you for exercising a protected right or on the basis of discrimination. If they do, then your rights have been violated.
If you believe that you have been wrongfully terminated, one of the first things that you should do is to write down as much as you can remember about the termination and factors leading up to the wrongful termination. If there are any witnesses/co-workers who may be able to attest to the fact that you have been wrongfully terminated, write down their names and their statements. The next thing that you should do is to contact a Youngstown wrongful termination attorney. An attorney can review your case free of charge and, if they determine that you have a viable claim, help you to take the next steps in the process. By filing a wrongful termination claim, you may be able to seek remedy in the form of reinstatement to your original position, back pay, compensation for emotional harm, punitive damages, and more.
At the law office of Coffman Legal, LLC, we know that understanding the law surrounding being terminated can be confusing. If you think that your termination was a breach of a protected right, don’t hesitate to call our Youngstown, OH wrongful termination lawyers directly for legal support and guidance. You can reach us by phone or online to start the process today.